Vampire Outbreak (The Josh Thorne Trilogy Book 2)

by Joe Fowler

  I left the fight to give chase. I knew I was being followed as well. It would have been funny in a less serious moment. I caught up to the phone guy very quickly. I had just enough time to kill him and put the phone in my pocket before the others caught up and resumed their attack on me. There were only a handful left so it wasn’t too hard to finish it. I looked around as the last one fell.

  I wanted to pull the phone out right then and try to call but I felt the last thing I wanted to feel. The sun was rising. I ran around trying to find a nonresidential building. I stumbled across a small what-not shop and barreled my way through the door. I found a closet inside and ripped a blanket from a display case. I entered the closet and wrapped myself up in the blanket trying to cover everything from head to toe. I doubt it was more than ten seconds before the sun was up and I was asleep.

  Chapter 19

  I woke to find myself very weakened. I wasn’t sure if it was from limited protection from the sun or from hunger. I stumbled out of the store and tried to focus on what needed to be done. I needed to feed before I went back to the girl’s apartment. I might attack her if I was too hungry. I looked around and guessed one direction to be as good as another.

  I started walking hoping for no more than a small group of vampires. I needed to feed but wasn’t sure how many I could take in this weakened state. My mind began to wander after twenty minutes or so. Where were the thousands of vampires when I needed them? I was beginning to wonder if we had killed them all when I heard some laughter. I headed toward the sound cautiously.

  There were a dozen vampires standing around talking and laughing in front of a store. This would be a tough fight for how I felt but I wasn’t sure I would find a better chance. I stumbled out into the road and approached them. They looked at me curiously and called to me in French. I didn’t respond. As I got closer understanding dawned in some of their eyes and they called out a warning to the others right as I attacked them.

  This fight was a hazy mess in my mind. I was being struck a lot but was still managing to dispose of them. When it was down to three of them, I grabbed one and bit him taking two huge mouthfuls of blood before the others could stop it. I killed the blood donor as I released him. I immediately felt better. I still didn’t feel great but I was good enough to knockout one of them and drain the other. Looking down at the last of them, I decided to drink more just in case. I didn’t want Beth or her brother to look appetizing.

  I pulled out the phone but had no clue what number to dial. What was the number for information here? How could I get an operator on a French cell phone? Would they speak English? I figured if anyone knew, it would be a teenage girl. I retraced my steps to her apartment as fast as I could.

  Beth wasn’t thrilled to see me until I pulled out the phone. She invited me in to her apartment even though it might have been better if she hadn’t. I knew the urgency of hunger now. She no longer had protection against me if I lost control.

  “Who have you called?” She asked me excitedly.

  “No one. I don’t know the numbers to dial the U.S. from here. Can you help me with that?” I asked hating how stupid I felt. I tried to rationalize the situation and could see how I was lost. I still felt stupid not being able to use a phone well enough to call someone whether I was in France or not.

  “I know!” She ran to a side table and grabbed what I guessed to be a phone book. She looked at a world map that had numbers on it and started dialing. “This shows your country’s code. Here you take the phone, it is ringing!”

  I talked to several people before finally being transferred to someone who could really help. Once they understood who I was, they transferred me to the President’s chief advisor. He took a message including Beth’s address and this phone number. He promised to pass the news along to Seth and the President as soon as he could. They would call Josh and Rosalyn and tell them where we were.

  “Now we wait. My friends will be calling tonight I hope. If they are too busy fighting then they might not get to take a call until it is too late to contact us. Josh was handling the communications and he isn’t limited by daylight. He might not even look at the phone until morning. I am only telling you this so you won’t be disappointed if they don’t call tonight.” I reassured her.

  “I understand. It is good either way. I know we have help now.” She was about to cry but at least these would be good tears.

  “I should go and fight now. I still need to do my share while I am here.” I started to stand up from the chair I was in when she grabbed my arm.

  “No, please stay. My brother and I have been all alone. I would feel much safer if you stayed with us.” She was near to begging.

  “Alright, I will stay until we know something.” I caved. I knew it might be a bad idea.

  We talked about her parents and what she had been through. I admired how brave she had been through the past weeks. She had gone out during the day to get the food and supplies she and her brother needed. Then at night she was forced to listen to the vampires killing people and the screams they were causing all around her. Her brother, Heath, stayed close by her side but never spoke a word.

  “Hello?” I answered the phone on the first ring.

  “Austin! This is Seth. Josh called this morning frantic saying you disappeared. What the hell happened?” Seth sounded relieved.

  “I got carried away, literally. I was fighting and an older vampire grabbed me and sped off carrying me. I got lucky and killed him during the run. Then after killing a few more vampires, another old one started kicking my ass. He would have killed me but a young girl named Beth dropped something on his head from her apartment. It gave me the chance to kill him. When I went back to where Josh and Rosalyn were fighting, they were gone.” I hurried through the explanation.

  “Damn, you gave us a scare. I tried to call Josh but he didn’t answer. They must be fighting. Now what is this about the girl and her brother?” Seth said, he probably knew enough from my message but I told him the story.

  “Their parents died the first night. They have been hiding during the night and only going out for food during the day. They need to get out of Paris. I promised them I would get them out safely.” I meant to keep that promise too.

  “I have the address you gave. We will send a car tomorrow during the day. Tell them to pack some clothes and be ready to go.” Seth paused, “As for you, I will tell Josh where you are when he calls. It would be better if he were there with them during the day until the car arrives anyway.”

  “I agree. Thanks for the help, Seth. I was lost and didn’t know what to do since the phones here don’t work.”

  “Where did you get this cell phone?” He asked.

  “I saw a vampire using it, so I killed him and his friends. I almost got fried by the sun because I was so worried about this phone. I didn’t realize the sun was almost up.” I gave a shaky laugh and heard Seth laugh too.

  “Well you can relax now. Sit tight until you hear from Josh. Glad you’re okay.” Seth teased me a bit.

  “Me too. Thanks Seth.” We hung up and I smiled at Beth. “Josh and Rosalyn should be here by sunrise. They didn’t answer Seth’s call which means they’re fighting but Josh will call when he can.”

  “You sure they are fighting? So many have died. How do you know your friends aren’t dead as well?” She asked what would be a reasonable question. She didn’t know Josh and Rosalyn though.

  “The man I was talking to on the phone might be the only being on earth that is tougher than Josh. My Rosalyn is well over two thousand years old. She is one of the strongest of all vampires. Trust me Beth, they are alive and well.” I tried to reassure her.

  We sat and watched the news for a while. Only a few of the channels still worked. Heath was wanting to watch the children’s shows but those channels were down. Beth was constantly trying to keep him entertained. I wondered what the future held for them.

  “Do you have any relatives you can stay with?”

  “Yes,
we have an aunt and uncle in Lyon who might take care of us. I hope they will.” She said sadly.

  “I am sure they will. They are family.” I stated, knowing how dysfunctional my own family had been.

  Beth got their bags ready for travel. She knew she was safe for the moment with me there and wanted to take advantage of it. She got her brother to go to sleep, finally, though he clearly didn’t want to. I sat on their couch watching them with an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

  It was clear my body had gone through the vampire blood I drank earlier. I was already feeling the hunger pangs. How could I ask this brave girl to let me drink her blood after all she had been through? Heath, the little boy, was off limits. Josh was the only other person who wasn’t a vampire I had seen in Paris. He told us early on that anyone drinking his blood would have to die. My stomach growled reminding me how screwed I was. Beth heard the growl too. She looked at me with terror in her eyes.

  “Relax. You and your brother are safe.” I said as nicely as I could. I didn’t want her to be afraid of me.

  “You are hungry? When was the last time you ate?” She asked.

  “I drank from vampires this morning but it didn’t help. The last time I had living blood was two days ago. I shouldn’t even be hungry. I will find a way to make it without asking that of you. You have already suffered enough because of vampires. I am not going to add to it.” I was wondering even as I spoke, where would I find living blood in a city of the undead?

  “Would it kill me? Or hurt too much?” She sounded like she was trying to help.

  “No. It wouldn’t hurt or kill you but I will not ask that of you.” I would find a way around drinking from her.

  She seemed to understand how much it would bother me to drink from her. She was being brave but I could see the fear in her eyes still. She went back to getting their things ready and I tried to concentrate on anything other than the hunger. Luckily the phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Austin! We didn’t know where you could have gone. We are on our way to you now. Seth gave us a brief summary of what happened.” Josh’s voice never sounded so good. Right now even the hair curling spooky ass voice of his wolf form would have been welcome.

  “Things got messed up quickly. I was wondering if I would be able to find you again. How far away are you guys?” I asked.

  “About ten minutes. Wait out in front of the building if the coast is clear. It would speed things up a little.” Josh suggested.

  “You got it. I will be there.” We hung up. I told Beth and her face lit up in a huge smile. It was good to see her happy. I reminded her to stay inside the apartment though, just in case. I didn’t want to screw this up now.

  I headed downstairs to the street. I looked around carefully before stepping out of the doorway. They caught me off guard once and I didn’t want it to happen again. I heard the SUV well before they came into view. I was bouncing on my toes ready to see Rosalyn.

  The SUV hadn’t come to a stop before Rosalyn had got out and tackled me in a huge hug. It was painful but I didn’t mind one bit. I held her as tight as I could without making her head pop off from the pressure. We started kissing and might not have stopped if Josh hadn’t done that annoying coughing thing. I looked up from the ground where we lay and could see Beth hanging out the window smiling down at us.

  Rosalyn and I got off the ground. Our arms remained around each other as we joined Josh and headed upstairs. I wanted to tell them more about Beth and Heath but I was finding it difficult to speak. Through all this I tried not to think that I might not see Rosalyn again. Now that she was here I saw how close I had come and it scared the hell out of me.

  “Beth, this is Josh and Rosalyn. You guys, meet Beth. She has been here taking care of her little brother since this all started.” I made the introductions at the door.

  “Come in and sit down. Austin has told me a little about the two of you.” Beth seemed so relieved.

  “Seth will have a car coming as soon as the sun rises. He wanted to give them as much time as possible in case of problems on the road.” Josh gave her a reassuring smile as he spoke. I could see he thought highly of how she was taking care of her brother in all this madness. My stomach chose a bad time to growl.

  “You ate two days ago. Why are you hungry again?” Rosalyn asked.

  “I don’t know. I had to scramble to get away from the sun this morning. When I woke up I was weakened severely. I fed off some vampires before coming here but it didn’t help.” I admitted to her.

  “You must not have been protected from the sun well enough. Your body used its strength to fight the sun as you slept. That’s why you burned through the blood in your system.” Rosalyn explained.

  “I would let him drink from me. He said he wouldn’t, but if he needs it then he should drink.” Beth offered.

  “She might be the only chance you have for a while. There aren’t many humans left in Paris. We still have a lot of work to do before we finish here.” Josh wasn’t making it any easier to say no.

  “Beth has been through so much and I don’t want her to go through more because of me.” I tried to argue.

  “Josh is right. There aren’t many options. You won’t be able to fight again until you’ve fed.” Rosalyn waived Beth over. “Josh and I will make absolutely sure Austin doesn’t take too much. You will be safe.”

  “I trust him anyway.” Beth said.

  She came to where Rosalyn and I were sitting. Rosalyn guided Beth’s arm to my mouth. I hesitated still not wanting this but hunger took over and I bit. I took a mouthful more than I usually would but I stopped on my own. I hated myself for my weakness. Beth shouldn’t have to put herself at risk for me.

  Rosalyn looked closely at me as Beth moved away. She only hesitated for a moment before she put her own arm to my lips. I drank from Rosalyn as well. I wondered how she knew I still needed more. Josh and Beth saw it and had questioning looks on their faces when I finished. I looked down at my feet not wanting to speak.

  “Austin was partially exposed to the sun somehow. It can drain you know matter how well fed you are. He drank from more than one vampire earlier but that blood was used up in healing him completely from the exposure. Beth’s blood will revitalize him but he would still have been a little low on volume.” Rosalyn explained.

  “You could tell by looking at him?” Beth asked.

  “No. I have seen it a thousand times and suffered through the same thing several times myself.” Rosalyn looked at me as she asked, “Where did you wait out the sun?”

  “I had been fighting trying to get the phone. By the time I was done, the sun was rising. I searched for any place in a panic. I found a little doodad shop and grabbed a blanket on my way into a closet. I wrapped the blanket around me as best I could.” I shrugged, “Guess it wasn’t enough.”

  “The windows in the shop must have been facing south. A blanket isn’t nearly enough even if only a little light is coming in from under the door. You are lucky to be alive.” Rosalyn laid her head on my shoulder.

  The four of us sat around quietly for a few minutes until Heath came walking in. He looked grumpy in his little pajamas. He curled up in Beth’s lap without a second glance at Josh or Rosalyn. He was back asleep in no time.

  “Did either of you see the four vampires on that balcony? They were watching us fight before I got carried off.” I remembered to ask.

  “No. Can you describe them?” Rosalyn’s head came off my shoulder with a very concerned look on her face.

  “Three men and one woman. Two of the men were wearing old fashioned suits and the woman was wearing some kind of gown. The other was more casual in jeans and a tee shirt. I didn’t get a great look but that was easy enough to see.” I tried to remember more but I had been more worried about getting separated from Josh and Rosalyn at the time.

  “Damn. We are in for a fight. I know them well. They were here the last time I came to Paris and are the reason I left. All four of them are around t
wo thousand years old. I believe I can take any one of them but they fight together. I won’t be able to take two at the same time.” Rosalyn licked her lips and continued, “Austin will be outmatched by any one of them. Josh, I know you are a true badass but even you can’t take three of them at the same time. We are going to have to be really careful.”

  “I can keep three busy while you finish one off. Then two would be doable for me. Austin can concentrate on any younger vampires leaving you and me to the older ones. If we can separate them, it will be much easier.” Josh went quiet, thinking of how we might be able to do that. I was in over my head.

  “I know where they used to live. They are most likely still there unless they moved because they saw me. They will have a great deal of younger vampires to guard them.” Rosalyn seemed to be worried.

  “While we were fighting the other day, it seemed they were trying to separate me even before I got carried off. I was trying to fight my way closer to you two but kept being driven back. What Josh just said clarified it for me. They must have thought the same thing. If they take me out of the equation then the two of you would have all those younger ones to deal with as well as the old ones and you would fail.” It was making sense in my mind.

  “That would make sense. They would have seen they couldn’t separate me and Josh so they went after you. You are right, we will fail unless all three of us are there.” Rosalyn let her head fall into her hands.

  We were quiet trying to think of some kind of plan. I didn’t have any talent for strategy. Though Josh was young he was surprisingly adept. Rosalyn had the experience but this was a much different situation that what she was used to facing.